Balance
by TeamNorthman
Summary: On nights like this, not even Dick can keep optimism from seeping into his nightly thoughts. Especially not while she's around. Rob/Star, post-series. Drabble. One-Shot.


**A/N: This was a quick exercise more than anything. I'm currently trying to force myself out of a deep writing slump, and this is what came out.**

**Enjoy.**

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I stand still, perched protectively over the city as its twinkling lights wink back at me from below. It's such a vision. Something to be proud of. And it's nights like this that drag me out into the streets when things get too impossible. When my body aches, my head is spinning and I feel like I just can't take it anymore.

Here, up many stories high, nearly rid of the roaring traffic and bustle of civilians, you could almost swear that we'd actually, _finally _managed to do some good in Blüdhaven. The usually smoggy sky bared everything on this night, a crescent of a moon and even a few accompanying stars peaked through the darkness.

No clouds, a rare occurrence. Just the moon, the stars, a light breeze, and me, Blüdhaven's much needed protector, always watching, always waiting.

I'd come to this city when I'd outgrown the last. Donning a new, original persona, I'd set out on pulling Blüdhaven up from its knees, and I'd planned on doing it alone.

But, in my line of work, you eventually come to realize that not everything works out according to plan.

Control is what helps me breathe. In this world, it's what keeps me _sane_. Always, I am calculating. Reading. Scheming, planning, tweaking. Everything must be _precise_. No detail can be overlooked, even the smallest. When details are missed, plans crumble. When plans crumble, people die.

And when people die, I _feel_ it. It's a burden that weighs heavily on my shoulders, and I can't help but carry it.

Willingly, I have promised my body and soul to this city. When night falls, I rise, and I take to the streets with my promise in my chest. Always, I've believed that ordinary people will rise once given something to rise _for_. That's why I'm here. Blüdhaven was lacking hope. And its people lacked a reason to fight.

Now, I believed that maybe, just maybe, this city was ready to stand again. Not on its own, no. But ready to _resist_. Against injustice, corruption, crime. Everything I'd been taught to battle against until I breathed my final breath.

And absolutely none of this would have been possible without _her_.

When my control was slipping through my fingers, she was there, grasping my hands, refilling me with the hope I was trying so hard to bestow upon other people. When plans crumbled, she picked up the pieces, sitting with me hours and hours into the night as we put them back together.

When people died, no matter how persistently I berated myself, and no matter how unyielding I was with my self-loathing, she fought against it. She held my face in her hands and told me things over and over. You did your best. You were not the criminal. It is not your fault. You are giving everything to this city, and they are grateful. Stop the blaming of yourself for things you cannot control.

She goes on and on and on, passion flaring in her eyes with each and every word, and sometimes I swear I can almost believe her.

Where I am this city's dark protector, its resistance and its strength, _she _is its hope. On the darkest nights, she appears in the sky, a dazzling stream of emerald green that inspires all things good. Where I am Blüdhaven's backbone, she is its righteous fury. I am the avenger, but _she_ is the hero.

Bringing her with me to this broken city hadn't ever been part of the original plan. But gazing out over the city now, I knew it was the right decision.

Originally, I'd wanted to fight the darkness in this city with my _own_ type of darkness. Fight fire with fire. Match anything the city could throw at me with more vigilance and more discipline.

It would have been effective, possibly. But then I soon realized that maybe this city didn't want to be in the darkness anymore.

And who better to stand against the darkness than the light itself?

There's a soft rustle of movement behind me, and I know she's returned. Stepping back from my perch over the city, I turned to greet her, unable to fight off a grin.

"Hey beautiful," I say, and I can tell immediately that my unusually light demeanor has taken her by surprise.

Her answering smile is breathtaking. "Hello," she returns, coming to stand at my side as she turns her own gaze over the city. "Things have been quiet tonight, yes?"

I peel my masked eyes away from her to follow her gaze. "Yeah," I answer quietly, no suspicion or paranoia coating my tone. Just a light, simple agreement.

This surprises her as well, I can tell. I wonder how long I'll be able to tease her until she starts asking questions.

Not for long, it would seem. "Are you keeping something from me, Nightwing?" she asks, her voice reproachful and coy. Gently clasping her fingers together behind her back, she raised a single, alien eyebrow at me.

I continue to grin as I move my gaze anywhere but to her. "Not at all, my dear," I answer evasively. "Just admiring the view, is all."

"Mmhmm," she hums doubtfully, giving a slight eye roll. "Of course you were."

We fell into a companionable silence, each of us sporting peaceful smiles as we continued to scan the city. It was a few minutes before I decided to speak again.

"Star," I began, slightly tilting my body to face her. I gazed straight into her eyes through my mask. "Are you happy here?"

This inquiry caught her full attention, and so she turned to me. Her head tilted in that familiar, questioning way, her everlasting curiosity drawing her brows together. "Of course," she answered simply, blinking. "Have I ever led you to believe otherwise?"

Typical Starfire, always so worried about stepping on other people's toes. I grinned at her. "No, Star, you haven't."

Relief shimmered within her emerald orbs. Then, the curiosity returned once again. "Then why do you ask?"

I shrugged, gazing out at the cityscape again. "I guess…it's one of those things I've always been worried about; dragging you out here to fulfill my own dreams without asking you about yours. I know between work and this, sometimes I can seem preoccupied…" Starfire's lips turned up as she let out a tiny sigh through her nose. I laughed.

"Okay," I mended. "Sometimes I can seem _really _preoccupied. But that's what I mean. I just…I don't want you doing anything you don't want to do…you know…just for the sake of making me happy." Feeling utterly lame as I finished, I nervously rubbed the back of my neck, giving her a cautious look.

Her grin was full now as she stared at me, her arms crossed under her chest. Lifting gently off the rooftop, Starfire floated around to levitate directly in front of me. Beneath her endlessly present innocence, mischief gleamed within her features.

"You surely must think highly of yourself, sir Nightwing," she said, "to believe that the princess of Tamaran would follow you so blindly." Defiance suddenly flashed in her eyes.

I flinched, feeling bashful as a slight pink tinted my face. "Well no," I stuttered. "That's not what…I mean I didn't-"

She came forward to place a slender finger over my lips, bringing my words to a halt. "I am doing the teasing of you," she giggled, her bubbly demeanor returning. I let relief settle over my shoulders.

Starfire let her hand drop before hovering even closer. "I am happy here," she whispered, smiling warmly at me. "Protecting these people in this city, fighting along side you…it is, as they say, a dream come true, yes?"

With her so close, uttering an answer like that, I can't help it anymore. So I reach out and pull her towards me so I can connect our lips.

Our kisses on patrol have to be brief. That is, _if _they even happen at all. Something we've always prided ourselves over is our unrelenting professionalism on the battlefield.

But then again, it's one of those nights. And I find that I'm losing myself in the kiss far too quickly.

In fact, if I closed my eyes tightly enough, I could almost swear we were back at the beginning. Even after all these years, her lips still tasted as sweet as they had in Tokyo.

After a long, satisfying minute, she pulls away to gaze at me, a dreamy smile on her lips. And suddenly, as I stare back (probably looking equally as goofy), I find myself unable to remember what I'd ever planned on doing without her in the first place.

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**I've always enjoyed the thought of Starfire being able to bring out the best in Robin. And, I guess that's sort of what I was trying to portray here. **

**Never written anything for this lovely pair before, so all feedback is welcome. Let me know what you think, and thanks for reading!**


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